Budget 2021 - Education - Schooling overview - National Foundation for Australian ...
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Budget 2021 – Education
Schooling overview
NFAW welcomes the extra spending in education but notes the disparity in the percentage
increase for government schools at 7 per cent and non- government schools with 13 per cent.
Given this is a Budget seeking to “secure Australia’s recovery” and direct Australia’s exit from
the pandemic, the lack of an integrated education structure for upskilling the community in
digital expertise is disappointing. The expansion of the Digital Economy and the role teachers
and education will play has not been fully acknowledged and requires more attention and
resources. As women have been more heavily impacted by COVID-19 than men (WGEA 2020),
better outcomes for the recovery could be achieved with a more nuanced and cooperative
approach across a range of sectors with women as the central focus.
Schooling
The Budget
Funding for Schooling falls into two categories: funding provided to schools and territories to
support school education; and additional funding for specific Australian Government education
programs and policies.
Funding provided to schools and territories to support school education
In 2021–22, the Australian Government will provide funding of $24.8 billion to support state
education services, including $24.4 billion in Quality Schools funding and $409.1 million through
National Partnership payments. This includes recurrent funding, capital funding, funding for
non-government school reform support funding, Choice and Affordability Fund funding and other
prescribed purpose funding.
While there has been an increase in funding for both government and non-government schools,
the non-government sector has received an increase of 13 per cent while the government sector
has only had an increase of 7 per cent. This undermines the principle of needs-based school
funding and the necessity for the Schooling Resource Standard to be fully implemented.Government Schools National Support
2020-21 2021-22 2022-23 2023-24 2024-25
Estimated Budget Forward Forward Forward
actual estimate estimate estimate
$'000 $'000 $'000 $'000 $'000
Annual administered expenses:
Other services (Appropriation Bill No. 2)
Additional Support for Northern 12,804 14,242 12,263 10,035 7,536
Territory
Special appropriations:
Australian Education Act 2013 9,038,811 9,712,514 10,411,123 10,992,250 11,439,159
Total program expenses 9,051,615 9,726,756 10,423,386 11,002,285 11,446,695
2021-22 Portfolio Budget Statements No 1.4, p. 39.
Non-Government Schools National Support
2020-21 2021-22 2022-23 2023-24 2024-25
Estimated Budget Forward Forward Forward
actual estimate estimate estimate
$'000 $'000 $'000 $'000 $'000
Annual administered expenses:
Other services (Appropriation Bill No. 2)
Non-Government Representative 40,013 40,013 14,004 - -
Bodies
Adjustment Assistance 9,131 1,676 491 - -
Choice and Affordability Fund 156,045 107,682 110,912 114,240 117,667
Special appropriations:
Australian Education Act 2013 12,804,610 14,560,971 15,383,946 16,085,732 16,634,577
Total program expenses 13,009,799 14,710,342 15,509,353 16,199,972 16,752,244
2021-22 Portfolio Budget Statements No 1.4, p. 41.
.Quality Schools funding
$million NSW VIC QLD WA SA TAS ACT NT Total
2020-21
Government
schools(a) 2,815.4 2,098.1 2,030.7 924.7 611.0 222.7 130.8 220.2 9,053.6
Non-government
schools(b)(c)(d) 3,893.5 3,520.3 2,840.2 1,271.4 809.4 299.2 227.9 147.9 13,009.8
Total 6,708.9 5,618.4 4,870.9 2,196.1 1,420.4 521.9 358.7 368.1 22,063.4
2021-22
Government
schools(a) 3,009.9 2,270.2 2,157.8 1,020.6 665.7 234.3 142.9 227.3 9,728.8
Non-government
schools(b)(c)(d) 4,454.8 3,796.5 3,156.3 1,494.3 1,062.5 321.6 236.4 187.9 14,710.3
Total 7,464.8 6,066.7 5,314.1 2,514.9 1,728.2 555.9 379.3 415.1 24,439.1
2022-23
Government
schools(a) 3,212.0 2,451.4 2,286.1 1,121.9 722.9 244.0 156.0 231.1 10,425.4
Non-government
schools(b)(c)(d) 4,705.4 4,012.1 3,323.4 1,570.1 1,116.6 339.9 244.8 197.1 15,509.4
Total 7,917.4 6,463.5 5,609.5 2,692.0 1,839.4 583.8 400.8 428.3 25,934.7
2023-24
Government
schools(a) 3,386.3 2,605.6 2,395.0 1,200.2 762.8 252.8 167.0 234.6 11,004.3
Non-government
schools(b)(c)(d) 4,914.9 4,201.7 3,470.3 1,636.1 1,163.7 355.7 252.7 204.8 16,200.0
Total 8,301.2 6,807.3 5,865.4 2,836.3 1,926.5 608.5 419.7 439.4 27,204.3
2024-25
Government
schools(a) 3,525.9 2,727.0 2,481.8 1,251.4 789.6 260.5 175.3 237.3 11,448.7
Non-government
schools(b)(c)(d) 5,076.3 4,359.9 3,590.4 1,687.8 1,199.5 368.9 259.4 210.0 16,752.2
Total 8,602.2 7,086.9 6,072.2 2,939.2 1,989.1 629.4 434.7 447.3 28,200.9
2(a) Includes funding for the Northern Territory to accelerate evidence-based reforms to improve outcomes for vulnerable students
and includes Literacy Support for Tasmanian Students.
Includes capital funding.
Includes prescribed circumstances funding.
Includes funding for non-government school reform support and the Choice and Affordability Fund.
2021-22 Budget Paper No 3, Part 2, p. 38.
Additional funding for specific Australian Government education programs and policies
The Government will provide $77.5 million over four years from 2021-22 (and $5.5 million per
year ongoing) for further initiatives to support teachers, students and young Australians.
While each of these programmes are individually worthy of being funded, they are not part of a
wider integrated structure with long term goals. Indeed, the funding for some of these projects
is only for one year.
This is particularly true of the STEM proposals which are very small given the size of the Australian
Schooling sector.
However, NFAW welcomes the inclusion of young women into the Clontarf Foundation‘s
programmes which was a recommendation from the analysis in the 2020 Budget. (Women’s
Budget p48)
Funding includes:
• $20.0 million over four years from 2021-22 to continue and improve the Nationally Consistent
Collection of Data on school students with disability, to ensure the quality and integrity of data
that underpins ongoing funding for students with disability.
• $16.6 million in 2021-22 to assist boarding providers with a high proportion of Indigenous
students to remain financially sustainable during the COVID-19 recovery period.
• $11.9 million over four years from 2021-22 (and $3.0 million per year ongoing) to support the
Australian Children's Television Foundation to continue to support the development,
production and distribution of quality Australian children's screen content and educational
resources.
• $8.1 million over four years from 2021-22 for Together for Humanity to deliver a program to
students, teachers and parents so they are equipped for diversity, and to foster greater
inter-cultural understanding and a sense of belonging.
• $5.8 million over four years from 2021-22 (and $1.5 million per year ongoing) to continue
investment in the Australian Teacher Workforce Data collection, to help improve teacher
workforce planning and outcomes.
• $4.0 million over four years from 2021-22 (and $1.0 million per year ongoing) to continue and
expand the Literacy and Numeracy Test for Initial Teacher Education Students, to assist
aspiring students to make informed decisions about their suitability to become teachers.
3• $3.0 million in 2021-22 for the Duke of Edinburgh's International Award in Australia to
encourage young people to volunteer time in their communities, participate in sport and
recreational activities, and develop social skills.
• $3.0 million over two years from 2021-22 for High Resolves to deliver a learning experience to
young Australians to help build social cohesion, strengthen cultural understanding and
promote positive participation in their local community.
• $2.9 million in 2021-22 for the Commonwealth Scholarships Program for Young Australians to
support up to 240 training scholarships for young people aged 15 to 24 years in ten regions,
with funding to be redirected from unused places in the Commonwealth Scholarship Programs
for South Australia.
• $1.2 million over four years from 2021-22 to co-sponsor the Young Australian of the Year
Awards
• $1.0 million in 2021-22 for youth engagement activities, including improving Year 9 and Year
10 students' learning about civics and citizenship through the annual National Schools
Constitutional Convention, delivering activities for Ministerial engagement with youth, and
providing greater information to young Australians on programs and services that support
them.
Schools and Youth — supporting students, teachers and young Australians
Payments ($m)
2020-21 2021-22 2022-23 2023-24 2024-25
National Indigenous - 16.6 - - -
Australians Agency
Department of - 3.0 3.0 3.0 3.0
Infrastructure,
Transport, Regional
Development and
Communications
Department of Social - 2.3 0.7 - -
Services
Department of -2.9 14.4 8.4 9.7 11.2
Education, Skills and
Employment
Total — Payments -2.9 36.2 12.1 12.7 14.3
2021-2022 Budget Paper No 2 part 2, pp. 78-80.
4STEM Funding The Government will provide $0.5 million in 2020-21 for the Resources Technology Showcase 2021 (the Showcase), to be held in June 2021 in Perth. The Showcase will provide approximately 10,000 school age entrants with the opportunity to interact with the technology and innovation that drives growth in defence and space industries, and to promote science, technology, engineering and mathematics opportunities within defence industries (2021-2022 Budget Paper No2 Part 2, p. 87) $42.4 million over seven years from 2021-22 to establish the Boosting the Next Generation of Women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Program by co-funding scholarships for women in STEM in partnership with industry (2021-2022 Budget Paper No 2 Part 2, p. 81). Gender implications Why is this an issue for women? Women make up 81.9 per cent of teachers in primary schools and 61.1per cent of secondary school teaching staff (ABS 2021). Covid has had a significant impact on their workplace with changes to working conditions requiring them to prepare learning materials for the home and to teach online. This had some serious implications for professional skills and development. While school lockdowns were in place findings suggest that it was women who took much of the responsibility for schooling from home (WEGA 2020). This was considerably stressful for those with limited access or skills around technology. Connectivity became a concern for these women in trying to ensure their children had equal access to learning (The Smith Family 2020). Despite Covid women remain the major care givers in the family continuing to spend more time in housework and caring duties as well as caring for the majority of single parent families (ABS 2020). Hence, further pressures around lack of IT and its impact on limiting educational opportunities fell disproportionately on women. What are the 2021 Budget impacts on women? The 2021 Budget has some serious implications for women, not just those working in the schooling sector but also for women caring for and educating their own children. Of particular concern in this budget is the disparity in the funding percentage increase between government and non-government schools. Given that 65.6 per cent of students are in the government sector this impacts heavily on the female dominated workforce (ABS 2020). The lack of a national plan for STEM and short-term funding arrangements means women have difficulty accessing what limited professional development in available. While female students continue to complete year 12 in more numbers than their male counterparts (ABS 2020) it is imperative that many more young women have basic skills in STEM. This requires a national plan with all students acquiring skills from the earliest years of schooling. 5
Many young women are unable to access STEM programmes in the last years of schooling due to lack of basic knowledge (The Smith Family 2020). Recommendations • NFAW recommends that the STEM skills of all Australians can only be enhanced by a national policy that is fully funded and supported by the government. • NFAW recommends that a national STEM programme for all young people be established in schools. Such a programme would need to be fully funded and resourced. • NFAW recommends that all classroom teachers be given the opportunity to develop their knowledge of digital technologies to enhance the quality of their teaching. • NFAW supports universal access to high quality education for all Australian girls and calls on the government to overturn the disparity in the percentage increase of funding to government and non-government schools and fully implement the Schooling Resource Standard. This will help assure more equitable educational outcomes as well as better support the many female teachers working in the government sector. • NFAW calls on the government to ensure all Australians have access to the internet to enable them to avail themselves of full educational opportunities as well as other aspects of Australian life. References Australian Bureau of Statistics (2020) Schools. Commonwealth of Australia (2021) Women’s Budget Statement. Commonwealth of Australia (2021) Portfolio Budget Statement 2021-22 Budget Related Paper 1.4 Education, Skills and Employment Portfolio. Commonwealth of Australia (2021) Budget Paper No 2 Budget Measures. Commonwealth of Australia (2021) Budget Paper No 3 Federal Financial Relations. The Smith Family (2020) Without Access to Computers and the Internet, disadvantaged students are getting left behind Workplace Gender Equality Agency (2020) Gendered impacts of COVID-19. 6
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